Senior Cost Accountant

Base Power; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Base is building a cost accounting function from the ground up to support a fast-growing hardware and energy portfolio. You will design standard costing, BOMs, routings, and inventory processes in partnership with operations, engineering, and finance to ensure accurate data as we ramp production.

As a Senior Cost Accountant, you’ll own month-end close, inventory valuation, and depreciation of deployed battery systems while educating the business on costing principles.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in manufacturing cost accounting.
• Solid knowledge of standard costing, BOMs, routings, and inventory accounting.
• CPA or CMA preferred.
• ERP experience, preferably NetSuite.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Variance and root cause analysis experience.
• Clear communication across supply chain, engineering, operations, and finance.

Responsibilities

• Support and maintain standard cost methodologies for materials, labor, and overhead.
• Contribute to inventory accounting system and processes (BOMs, routings, item master governance).
• Establish and maintain cost accounting policies per US GAAP.
• Collaborate to resolve inventory discrepancies and improve internal controls.
• Support inventory valuation, reserves, and capitalization rules.
• Analyze material and production variances and identify root causes.
• Support physical inventory counts and ERP adjustments.
• Support month-end close for inventory and production accounts.
• Account for deployed battery systems deployments, installations, swaps, and returns.
• Educate the business on key costing rules and practices.
• Be flexible to perform other related procedures.

Skills

Cost accounting

Variance analysis

GAAP knowledge

ERP systems

NetSuite

Excel

Cross-functional

Education

CPA or CMA preferred

Tools

NetSuite ERP

Job description

About Base

Base is America’s next-generation power company. We’re rebuilding the foundation of modern civilization–electricity–by deploying a vast network of distributed batteries that is transforming today’s fragile, centralized grid into a resilient and abundant system. We are engineers, operators, and creatives solving some of the most complex, interdisciplinary challenges of our time.

About the Role

The Senior Cost Accountant will be responsible for supporting and building the build out of the cost accounting function and its underlying systems, as well as supporting accounting efforts related to deployed inventory. This role will partner closely with operations, engineering, supply chain, and finance teams to support a smooth production ramp‑up and ensure accurate financial data capture throughout the process. Supported by best‑in‑class technology resources and tools, this position offers a unique opportunity to join at the ground level and help shape systems and processes from the start.

What You'll Do

• Support and maintain standard cost methodologies for materials, labor, and overhead.

• Contribute to inventory accounting system and process design, including BOM definitions, routings, and item master governance, in partnership with operations and engineering.

• Help establish and maintain cost accounting policies and processes in accordance with US GAAP, including ongoing documentation thereof.

• Collaborate with operations, engineering, supply chain, finance, and others to resolve inventory discrepancies and improve internal controls.

• Support inventory valuation, reserves, and capitalization rules for tooling and builds.

• Conduct routine analysis of material and production variances, partnering with operations to identify root causes and recommend improvement opportunities.

• Support physical inventory counts, and own related adjustments in ERP.

• Support month‑end close through ownership of inventory and related production accounts, ensuring timely and accurate reconciliation.

• Support the accounting of deployed battery systems, including system deployments, installations, component swaps, and returns.

• Serve as an educator to the business on key accounting rules and practices in the realm of inventory and costing.

• Maintain a "no job too small" mentality, being able to perform other procedures within the general scope of this role.

What You'll Bring

• 3+ years of manufacturing and cost accounting experience.

• Solid knowledge of standard costing, BOMs, routings, and inventory accounting.

• CMA or CPA, preferred.

• ERP experience, preferably in NetSuite.

• Strong skills in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

• Variance and root cause analysis experience.

• Clear communication skills, with the ability to partner across functional groups (supply chain, engineering, operations, finance).

• Exposure to energy hardware or other complex assemblies is a plus.

• Experience or desire to operate in a high‑growth environment.

About the team

Base is scaling a hardware‑plus‑energy business and our accounting team builds the financial foundation that makes that scale possible. The team designs and runs the systems that turn manufacturing activity, member agreements, and energy market participation into accurate, decision‑ready financials — so leadership knows exactly where we’re making money, where we’re not, and how fast we can grow. This work directly shapes pricing, investment, and operational strategy, not after the fact but in real time as the company evolves. An exceptional candidate will be excited to build principles‑first processes in a complex business and have a clear line of sight from debits and credits to the decisions that determine Base’s trajectory.

Please note: Base is a startup, which means priorities shift and evolve quickly. Your role may expand or change based on the needs of the business at any given time, so the responsibilities listed may not be exhaustive.

Our Values

• First Principles Thinking: Question assumptions. Principles > rules.

• Operate at Base Pace: Focus on what matters, act quickly, and learn by doing.

• Give & Get Feedback: Be direct, be humble, and maintain a growth mindset.

• Everyone’s an Owner: Follow through on commitments and own results.

• Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: Drive clarity and make calls with imperfect information.

• Committed to the Mission: Rebuilding the grid is a big challenge. We work hard because we care deeply about the impact we’re creating. We work in‑person. It’s not a 9‑to‑5. We are all‑in.

• Fun & Optimism Coexist with Grit: Collaboration and celebration coincide with the intensity of building real things.

Do the best work of your life at Base.